Nordic Skiing and One Skate Lesson Fragments

Yesterday's class was a good day for learning one skate, though the snow conditions in the skate lane could have been better.
Let us look at some of the exercises that were used.
Inside, a few exercises with a partner catching you, first with eyes open and then closed. With eyes closed, you fell forward on one leg a couple of inches, concentrating on the hips coming past the weighted ankle.
The learning of how to control balance outside on skis, was worked on.
Some of the exercises were:
-free skating, with concentration of landing on the outside toe of ski boot, and then pushing off the inside big toe.
Always think of landing on a flat ski, not an inside edge, with imagery of almost landing on an outside edge, instead.
- Mantra; outside, flat and then an inside edge.
- Mantra; flat ski, flat ski, flex, edge, push over.
-Did a quick review of double poling(DP).
-Did some ghost one skating with no poles.(awesome exercise, if you ever break a pole!)
- There was the tap, tap, DP on each side, with the un-weighted ski either touching the ground when needed, or held off the ground.
- There was also DP the full length of the grid area on one ski, using the tail of the un-weighted ski for balance if needed.
-Some of the key areas that were looked at, were the heel, toe foot recovery.
-Swinging the recovery foot at least under the hips, and then the belly button, and if you could get the swinging rocking motion of the foot recovery under the opposite side hip, so much the better.
-Looked at a nice low ski recovery
-Looked at a naturally bone supported stance, not muscle supported stance on a flat ski, before flexing the leg and pushing over. Naturally bone supported stance, is one of two places that there is the opportunity for fresh blood to be pumped into the legs, with the total leg extension being the other position (i.e. dog lifting his leg to pee)
-In the DP the bent arm position was worked on. Elbows bent in the forward position, like answering a phone, and then the elbows bent and back. Elbows bent are using lats, and elbows straight are using the weaker triceps muscle.
-When the elbows come forward in one skate, your one leg, like single DP in classic, straightens into a bone supported position  At this time your chest comes up, stick it out, and you float(flat ski), bringing your hips ahead of the ankle(flat ski). Imagery like hugging a tree, or being a conductor were suggested.(flat ski)
-Next there is a forward dropping of the body, C of G ahead of ankle, first gravity(flat ski), then stomach crunch(flat ski), leg flex(flat ski) and then finally push over(edged ski).
-Tri-podding was still showing up at times, and for that exercise an over emphasis of wide hands and elbows were introduced.
-Bent wider elbows, both forward, and back, help to get the timing easier in the one skate, with longer poles.